Package-receptacle.



P. 11.551111. PACKAGE REGEPTAGLE.

Patented May 2s, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

laagw- FRANK A. sELLE, on oHIcA'GogTLLINoVIs.

:PACKAGE-RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Itatent. n Patented May 28,1912.

Application filed March 16, 1911. Serial No. 614,851.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. SELLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PackageReceptacles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in package receptacles and more specifically to vdevices of this character designed particularly for use in connection with the delivery of milk bottles. y

The object of myv invention is the production of a device of the character mentioned through the medium of which milk bottles may be delivered Vby the milkman to the consumer and left without the door of the dwelling' place of the latte-r without fear of the same being stolen or say surreptitiously removed.

\ A further objectis the production of a device as mentioned .which will be of vdurable and economical construction, one

. which vmay be readily and easily manipudrawings forming a part f this specification, and in which,

Figure lis a perspective view of apackage receptacle embodying the preferred form of my invention, the saine being shown open and arranged for operation, Fig.

lated; and. one which will beof great effi- 2 is a similar view thereof closed, Fig. 3 is a transverse or horizontal section takenjust above vthe medial partition ofthe body of' the device, a'nd'Fig. 4 is a 'fragmentary sec#n tion ktaken on substantially, line wof Fig. 3, a bottle beingv shown arranged therein. i I

Referring now tothe drawings 1 designates a conventional door frame in which is hinged inthe ordinary manner the door 2Q Arranged in the frame 1 adjacent the outer side of the .door 2 is thebody 3 of the package receptacle, said body beingformed preferably of sheet metal the same being of any dimensions desired andtransversely quadrant formed so that the inner sides thereof will Vbe disposed at substantially 90 degrees to each' other for snug itting at the junctureiof thel outer sides of the frame 1 and door 2 'as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Said body is hinged to the frame 1 by hinges 5, the' outer ends of the hinges' 5 loosely embracing a longitudinal bar 6 arranged nfthe adjacent ends of the wall of said body i3. The arrangement is such, as

will be observed, that said body may be swung to a position with the inner faces thereof resting in close proximity with the outersides ofthe frame land door 2 as showninFigs. 2 and 3, or said body may be swung to open or receiving position in which position the samer is shown in Fig. 1. The inner sides of the body are open so that when'the receptacle is open a package may be easily placed therein, but'when the re- Ceptacle is closed, the package may only be removed by'A opening the door 2, which then exposes an vopen side of the receptacle. Arranged within 'said body is a spring 7 which will hold said body normally closed as shown in Figs. 2y and 3. By means of a handle 8 upon the outer side of the body 3, said body may be swung readily.

` The interior of the body is`divided byv means of a horizontal partition 9 into upper and lower compartments each of which is adapted to receive a milk bottle of standard form anddimensions, said partition 9 servingas abottom for the upper compartment.

Arranged upon the under side of the partion n9`i`s a Vcatch lever or latch 10 which is fulcrumedV between'its ends to a bearing member' 11y which is rigidlyjsecured upon the under side of said partition. The outer extremity of thek lever 10 terminates in an engaging hook 12 which is adapted, when the body '3 is closed, to engage an eye 13 projecting. from the framel, the same being adapted, when the body 3v is closed, to projectr` through a slot 13 cut for the `reception thereof in a flange 14 which 1s pro- Said end of said lever is, however, provided with a weight 15 to hold the former normally in a position in which the same will vided at the periphery of said partition.

not engage the eye 13. The inner extremity e of the lever 10 is bent upwardly at substantially right angles to the body thereof proj ecting through an opening 16 in partition 9 and terminating in a head 17. The arrangement is such, when the lever 10 is in normal position, the head 17 will be disposed in a position slightly above the upper surface of the partition 9. lVhen a package such as a milk bottle 1S is placed in the upper compartment, the same will engage the head 17 as clearly shown in Fig. 4, depressing the same and raising the hook 12 to a position to engage the eye 13.

With a device then of a construction as set forth it will be noted. that normally the body 3 will be held closed by the spring 7. The same will, however, Anot be locked normally in this position, but, may be swung to open position as shown in Fig. 1. Hence, the milkman in delivering a milk bottle may readily and quickly open the body 3 and place the milk bottle therein. The spring 7 then closes the receptacle and the hook 12, which has been raised by the weight of the bottle resting on the head 17, engages the eye 13 and locks the receptacle. The bottle can then be removed only by opening the door 2. Upon removing the bottle the lever 10 will automatically drop to inoperative position permitting of the repetition of the procedure just described. It is apparent that in delivering a single bottle of milk the same should be placed in t-he upper compartment so as to operate the catch lever, the lower compartment being provided to accommodate a second bottle and also for returning any empty bottle to the milkman when he calls to deliver a fresh bottle. It is also apparent that a bottle may be arranged in the upper compartment without operating the catch lever providing the same is inverted therein, since when so arranged the head 17 will enter the mouth of the bottle and hence be not affected by the latter. Hence with this provision the device is adapted for use in returning the same number of bottles to the milkman as are delivered. It is understood that any number of compartments may be provided in the body 1 and that therefore no limitation is made to the provision of but two compartments as shown, it being only necessary that in the delivery of milk or of a package, the package, if but one, and one of the packages if two or more be arranged in the compartment coperating with the catch lever.

A package receptacle of the construction as set forth is durable and economical, efficient in operation and not liable to get out of order.

Thile I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as set forth but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door and a door frame, of a hollow body hinged to said frame adjacent the outer side of said door, adjacent sides of said body being/disposed to fit snugly against the adjacent sides of said frame and door, the side of said body adj acentsaid door being open; a horizontal partition on said body dividing the same into upper and lower compartments; an eye secured to and projecting from said frame below said partition; and a catch lever rockingly mounted upon the under side of said partition having one end formed to engage said eye in order to lock said body with its open side adjacent said door, said lever being positioned by gravity normally in inoperative position, the opposite end of said lever being extended upwardly through said partition and terminating in a member adapted to be depressed by contact with the bottom of an upright bottle or to enter the neck of an inverted bottle, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door and a door frame, of a hollow body hinged to said frame adjacentthe outer side of said door, adjacent sides of said body being disposed to fit snugly against the adjacent sides of said frame anddoor, the side of said body adjacent said door being open; a horizontal partition on said body dividing the same into upper and lower compartments; an eye secured to and projecting from said frame below said partition a fiage on said partition provided with an aperture adapted to pass over said eye; and a catch lever rockingly mounted upon the under side of said partition having one end formed to engage said eye in order to look said body with its open side adjacent said door, said lever being positioned by gravity normally in inoperative position, the opposite end of said lever being extended upwardly through said partition and terminating in a member adapted to be depressed by contact with the bottom of an upright bottle or to enter the nec-k of an inverted bottle, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door and frame, of a receptacle hinged to said frame and having an open side arranged to be closed and opened by said door; a bottle support in said receptacle; a catch lever having one end projecting above said support and adapted to be depressed by Contact With an upright name to this specification n the presence of bott-1e or to enter the neck of an inverted two subscribing Witnesses. bottle; and a catch on said frame arranged to engage said catch lever When said end is FRANK A SELLE' 5 depressed to look said receptacle in closed Witnesses:

position; substantially as described. HELEN F. LILLIs,

In Jestimony whereof I have signed my JOSHUA R. H. PoTTs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissionerof Patents, Washington, D. C. 

